Angry BT customers claim that they have been forced into their overdrafts and left without any money after the telecommunications giant claimed direct debits twice this month.
BT has pledged to refund the payments which were taken in error 'as soon as possible' but that hasn't stopped dozens of people taking to social media, saying they were charged a second time after their direct debit payments were taken in March.
One of the customers hit by the error was @Emmaw10114 who contacted BT via its Twitter page @BT_uk. "Why have you charged me twice? This isn’t good enough, you have now left me with no money. This isn’t acceptable," she said, while @stonier_rachel said: "Day 3 still waiting for my refund for a duplicate payment that was taken. It's not on BT. People are struggling as it is without having to pay their bills twice. Do we get to charge you interest for every day we have to wait for our money?"
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BT has admitted to Moneysavingexpert.com that a "small number of customers have had a duplicate direct debit taken from their bank account" and apologised for any inconvenience, but there is no information how many of BT's 18 million UK customers have been affected by the issue, which the company says is now resolved.
The telecommunications firm said it has contacted all those who had been affected and have issued them an automatic refund of the overpayment, which is says should already be in the affected customer's bank account.
Twitter user @loose 167 said: "You’ve charged me twice and now I’m in my overdraft. Happy Tuesday," and @_Loouiseee hit out at BT, saying: "Trying to charge me twice for my bill in 2 days. So you have taken £60 in one month ???? How ??? Make it make sense."
The issue came to light after angry BT customers contacted Martin Lewis's website. The Money Saving Expert recommended BT customers "take screenshots or print out statements detailing any errors" and record any late fees of charges they have had to make if they have been unable to pay as a result of the duplicate payment.
However, although BT has told customers who have been pushed into their overdraft or have been hit with late fees to contact the firm's customer service team, it has not confirmed whether it would compensate customers in this situation but it did say it would "discuss" the issue with them.
A statement on BT's website said: "If you’ve experienced a duplicate direct debit for a bill you’ve already paid, please be aware that we’re working on fixing the issue now and it should be automatically refunded shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."
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